Corn-harvester.



' Patented Oct. 3|, I899 P. B. HUBNER 8|. 0. E. HEDRICK. CORN HABVESTER.(Application filed Mine 28, 1898.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l,

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'No.636,|43. Patented Oct. 3|, I899. P. B. HORNEB & c. E. HEDRICK.

CORN HARVESTER.

- (Application filed June 23, 1898.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet z f '4 41 *0 o I m if ii A .9 {I a -1 70 77 /f 1 3 I? J UNITED STATES PATENT,FFICEQ rAoLI BYRON HORNER AND CLARENCE ELLIOTT HEDRICK, or oLEMENTs,KANSAS.

.ZCOZRN-HA'RVVE'STERI.

snomIcATIon forming part of L'ettrs Patent No. 636,143, dated October31, 1899.

Application filed June 28, 1898. Serial No. 684,660. (No model.)

T0 at whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, PAoLI BYRON HORNER and CLARENCE ELLIOTT HEDRIOK, ofClements, in the county of Chase and State of Kansas, have invented anew and Improved Corn-Harvester, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

Our invention relates particularly to a device for topping Kafir cornand similar stalks. The object of the invention is to furnish a simpleand economic machine capable of adjustment for cutting tall or shortstalks and Ekewise capable of being worked bya single orse with oneattendant.

A further object of the invention is to provide a means'whereby when themachine is in operation the cutter may be elevated or depressed toeffectually top stalks of unequal height.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed outin the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts inall the figures.

Figure l is a side elevation'of the machine. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig.3 is a detail sectional view taken through the rear portion of theplatform or deck of the machine, illustrating the guide-wheel in sideelevation and the devices employed for raising and lowering the wheel.Fig. 4 is a plan view of the machine with the box and platform removed.Fig. 4 is a sectional detail on line 4 4 of Fig. 4. Fig. 5 is a frontend view of the machine. Fig. 6 is a transverse section takensubstantially on the line 6 6 of Fig. 4, and Fig. 7 is a detailsectional view taken substantially on the line 7 '7 of Fig. 4.

The machine is adapted to travel'between the rows of standing stalks andto cut the heads therefrom, leaving the fodder standing until itmatures. Kafir corn averages about four and one-half feet in height. Thegreat difficulty in the harvesting of Kafir corn is that the heads ripenlong before the fodder is ready to harvest, and if the heads are leftupon the stalks until the fodder is fit for cutting, the seed shells offand is wasted when the fodder is gathered; or should the fodder be cutat the time the seed ripens, the fodder will mold in the stacks. Ourmachine is adapted to gather the heads at proper time, leaving thestalks to mature.

The frame A of the machine consists of parallel sides, a front sectionconnecting the sides, and a rear bow-section, the frame being bracednear the rear by a cross-bar a, and other cross-bars and longitudinaltimbers may be employed, if desired. The top of the frame is decked overor closed in any suitable or approved manner except at one side, wherean opening 10 is formed, extending from a point near the rear to thefront, the said opening being covered by a housing B,'secured to theupper face of the deck of the frame.

At or about the central portion of the openinglO a shaft 11 istransversely located, and on the said shaft a master-wheel 12, which isalso a supporting-wheel, is loosely mounted through the medium of asleeve or otherwise, and a sprocket-wheel 13 is attached to themaster-wheel. At each end of the shaft 11 a pinion 14 is secured. Thesepinions are arranged to travel in loop-bearings 15, one of the innervertical edges of each bearing being provided with teeth, as shown inFig. 7, and each loop-bearing is also provided upon its inner face witha guide 16, so that the pinions cannot leave the bearings. ings 15 aresecured one to the frame and the other to the inner longitudinal Wall ofthe opening 10 in the deck of the machine.

A drum 17 is secured upon the shaft 11, and when the said drum isrevolved the shaft is rotated, and consequently the framework of themachine will be raised or lowered, according to the direction in whichthe shaft 11 is turned. A cable 18 is secured to the drum 17 and to asecond drum 19, which is attached to a shaft 20, journaled in suitablebearings 21 at the rear end of the opening 10, the shaft 20 being soshaped at its outer end as 'to receive a crank-key or its equivalent,and the outer end of the shaft 20 is also provided with a ratchet-wheel22, normally engaged by a pawl 23.

Ashaft 22 is journaled in bearings 23 on the bottom of the frame at therearof the shaft 20, and the shaft 22 has loosely mounted thereon asprocket-wheel 24, connected by a belt 24* with the largersprocket-wheel 13 on The bearthe main shaft 11. The sprocket-wheel 24 isprovided with a clutch-face whichis adapted to normally engage with aclutch 25, held to slide upon and turn with the shaft 22, the clutch 25being held in engagement with the sprocket-wheel 24 by a spring 26 orlike tension device. A beveled wheel 27 is secured on the shaft 22 nearits inner end, and the said beveled wheel is engaged with a beveledpinion 28, mounted on the inner end of a longitudinal shaft 29, held toturn in suitable bearings, which shaft is carried out through theforward end of the frame.

At the rear end of the frame a bearing 33 is provided, in which a stem30 is mounted to turn and to have vertical movement, the said stemcarrying at its lower end a steeringwheel 31, which may be termed aswivelwheel. A collar 32 is loosely mounted upon the lower end of thestem, yet is held against vertical movement, and a strap is carriedaround the said collar, as shown in Fig. 3. A link 34 is secured to thebearing 33 at the rear, which link extends downward through the openingin the deck of the machine and is pivoted to a second link 35, which ispivotallyattached to the strap on the lower collar 32.

Two horizontal opposing arms 36 are attached to the pivot connecting thelinks 34 and 35, one of said arms being at each side of the said links,and the arms 36 are pivotally connected with cranks 37, formed upon acrank-shaft 38, suitably journaled at the bottom of the frame near therear, the bearings of the said crank-shaft being designated as 39. Acable 40 is passed through an eye in the strap carried by the sleeve 32,and this cable is passed over friction-rollers 41, mountedin thecross-bar a or a like support, and an end of the cable is attached toeach of the cranks 37, as shown in Fig. 4.

A lever 40 is secured to the shaft 38 and extends up through an openingin the deck, as shown in Fig. 2, the lever being provided with asuitable thumb-latch for engagement with a rack 41. By the manipulationof the lever 40 the swivel steering-wheel may be raised or lowered, soas to elevate or depress the forward end of the machine. When crankshaft38 is rocked by lever 40 so as to throw arm 36 to the right, Fig. 3, thelinks 34 act like toggle-arms to draw up collar 32, and the samemovement causes a pull on the cable to equalize the lifting strain oncollar 32. The steering-wheel is manipulated for steering purposes byattaching a foot-bar 42 to the upper end of the stem 30, as is bestshown in Fig. 2. Under such a construction the machine may be guidedduring operation, leaving the hands of the driver free to manipulatelevers or to drive a horse.

The driving-pulley 24 or the driving-shaft 22 may be brought inengagement with the clutch 25 or carried out of engagement therewiththrough the medium of a shaft 42, which is provided with a hand-lever43, extending above the deck of the machine near usual engagement withthe clutch 25. (See Fig.

4 As the shaft 42 extends longitudinally and horizontally beneath thedeck of the machine and the fork 44 extends vertically downward from theshaft, when the shaft is rocked through the medium of the lever 43 thefork is given lateral movement to shift the clutch 25.

The deck of the machine is provided with two upright side pieces 46 anda front upright section 46*, forming a box which is adapted to receivethe harvested tops. An arched pedestal 47 is carried outwardly from thelefthand side of the machine and downwardly in direction of the ground,and the said pedestal is adapted as a bearing for the trunnions of asupporting-wheel 48, which is opposite the masterwheel 12. The pedestal47 is braced by a bar 49, carried from a point near its lower end to therear of the left-hand upright section of the deck, and by a second bar50, carried from a like point on the pedestal to a cross-bar 51,whichextends along the upper portion of the front of the machine andoutwardly beyond the left-hand side of the same. The drivers seat islocated just back of the foot-bar 42 on the stem of the swivelsteering-wheel 31.

At the left-hand side of the machine a finger-bar 52 is secured upon theupper cross-bar 51, and on the said finger-bar a sickle-bar 53 ismounted to slide, while guides 52 extend out from the finger-bar, nearthe ends thereof, and in a forwardly direction, so as to 'direct thetops of the corn to the cutters. A link 54 is attached to the inner endof the sickle-bar 53, and the said link, which is horizontally disposed,is attached to a lever 54, fulcrumed at its center to the front of themachine, the lever being vertically disposed, and the lower end of thelever 54 is connected by a link 55 with a wrist-pin on a crank-disk 56,the said crank-disk being secured to the shaft 29. The crank-disk may begrooved to constitute a pulley or may have a pulley attached, and a belt57 is carried over the crank-disk, or an attached pulley when one isemployed, and around a small pulley 58, secured to the lower end of avertical shaft 59, which shaft extends to the upper portion of themachine, and at its upper end is providedwith a reel 60, which isadapted to direct the tops into the space between the guides 52.

At the rear of the cutters a table 61 is secured to the machine, whichserves to direct the tops as cut into the body portion of the machine orupon the deck. The machine is exceedingly simple, durable, and economicand well adapted for the purpose for which it is intended.

In operation the machine can be set to cut the tops at any height fromthe ground, the sickle or cutter being about three and one-half feetfrom the ground when the shaft 11 is at raised or lowered, so as toefiectually cut the tops of the stalks that may be above or below theheight to which the machine was adjusted.

With this machine it will be seen that the team (a single horse) isattached to the singletree in front of the box-frame A, whose generalappearance is that of a Roman chariot closed at the front and sides andopen at the top and rear. The sickle and finger bars are at the upperedge of the box-casing and offset to one side of the same, and theelevated table 61 receives the heads of grain as they are cut OE anddirects them laterally into the receptacle formed by the box-casing.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent- ,1. A machine for harvesting the tops of corn,comprising a box-casing closed in front and at its two sides, afinger-bar and sickle arranged on a level with the top of the boxcasingbut offset to one side of the same, a table-surface arranged in rear ofthe sickle and discharging laterally into the side of the box-casing, amaster-wheel supporting one side of the machine and having a train ofgearing extending to the elevated sickle-bar for operating it, and asecond wheel and supporting-frame arranged on the other side of thebox-casin g, said frame consisting of a vertical pedestal 47 extendingupwardly and curved inwardly to the box-casing, a brace 49 extendingfrom the rear of the box-casing to the lower part of the pedestal, and afront inclined brace 50 extending-from the pedestal to and supportingthe outer end of the finger-bar and sickle, substantially as and for thepurpose described.

2. A machine for harvesting the tops of corn, comprising a box-casingclosed in front and at its two sides, a finger-bar and sickle arrangedon a level with the top of the boxcasing, but offset to one side of thesame, a table-surface arranged in rear of the'sickle and discharginginto the side of the box-casing, a master-Wheel supporting one side ofthe machine and having a train of gearing extending to the elevatedsickle-bar for operating it, means for raising and lowering the axle ofsaid master-wheel, a wheel and supporting-frame consisting of pedestal47 and inclined braces 49 and 50 arranged on the other side of thebox-casing, and supporting the outer end of the finger-bar and sickle, atrailing and swiveling guide-wheel arranged beneath the rear of theframe, and means for adjusting it vertically in relation to the mainframe, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The combination with the main frame, of the stationary sleeve-bearing33, a swiveling guide-wheel with vertical stem arranged therein, thetoggle-links 34, 35 connected respectively to the stationary bearing 33and to a collar around the stem of the guide-wheel, the crank-shaft 38,arms 36 connected to the crank-shaft and also to the middle togglejoint,and a cable 40 connected at one end to the collar around the guide-wheelstem, and at the other end to the crank-shaft, to equalize theliftingstrain on the guide-wheel and to permit it to be adjusted up anddown and also about a vertical axis, substantially as described.

4. In a corn harvester, the box casing closed in front and on its twosides and having a hood B, a master-wheel arranged within said hood andhaving sprocket wheel 13, chain belt 24 extending rearwardly, crossshaft22 with sprocket-wheel 24 arranged in rear of the master-wheel andhaving a clutch for coupling it to the shaft, a longitudinal shaft 29arranged on the opposite side of the master-wheel from its sprocket,andconnected to the cross-shaft by bevel-gear, and extending to the frontof the machine and provided there with crank-pulley 56, the verticallever 54*, horizontal pitmen 54, 55, the horizontal cutter-bar arrangedat the upper edge of the box-casing and offsetting to one side, avertical shaft 59 with reel-arms at the top, and a belt for driving saidshaft and reel from the crank-pulley 56, substantially as and for thepurpose described.

5. The combination of the box-casing, and the cutter-bar arranged at thetop of the same and projecting laterally from the same, a table 61arranged in rear of said cutter-bar and opening laterally into the topof the box-casing, the pedestal 47 bearing arunning Wheel at its lowerend and curving upwardly and inwardly to the box-casing, and the braces49 and 5O connecting the pedestal of this wheel respectively to the rearof the box-casing and to the outer edge of the cutter-bar, substantiallyas and for the purpose described.

6. In a device for topping corn, a structure provided with cuttersarranged at an elevation, means for driving'said cutters, and asteering-wheel mounted to turn and to have vertical movement, atoggle-lever attached to the support for the steering-wheel, armsprojected from the connection of the members of the toggle-lever, ashaft having cranks, the cranks being connected with the said armsprojected from the toggle-lever, and a cable connection between the saidcranks and a point near the lower end of the support for thesteering-wheel, for the purpose set forth.

PAOLI BYRON HORNER. CLARENCE ELLIOTT HEDRIGK. Witnesses:

E. S. GREEN, J ENNIE B. HAMILL.

